Battery Upgrade

hombre

Nitrous
Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
1,021
Even fully charged, the stock Yuasa YTX20L-BS battery just doesn't have the cold cranking capacity to start a Supercharged R3 in cold weather (below 40 F). I just installed the Odyssey PC625 and it has cranking amps to spare, besides being a better (longer life) battery.



The PC625 is slightly wider than the stock batt, so you have to remove the rear band of the stock battery holder ("box"), but the length is perfect. The slightly taller height means the stock tool kit will no longer fit over the battery, but in my case that's a small loss. For high performance minded riders, remember that low battery voltage greatly effects your injector dwell time... resulting in a loss of engine performance (unless you have an ECU that compensates like the MOTEC).

IMHO, for just under $100 (INCLUDING shipping), this was a very worthwhile upgrade. :cool:
 
I love Hawker Odyssey batteries. Ultima's too. You can run a Hawker in every position except inverted without loss of cranking power or storage capacity. The Hawker is a starved electrolyte cell battery which is an advanced type of AGM. Tha Ultima's are non-hybrid AGM's. They are made by Johnson Controls Corporation. The Ultima's are a bit more vibration resistant than the Hawker. Either is a good choice but I don't believe Ultima makes a compatable size for the R3. BatteryStore sells both brands. I get the Ultima's from them too. The Ultima's have to ship ground, ORM-D because being a non-hybrid AGM, they do have acid that could leak. The Hawker being a starved cell AGM can't leak even if the case is compromised.

One thing you have to remember when charging either type because the voltage has fallen due to inactivity is that both types aren't real friendly to trickle chargers. AGM's, either hybrid or non-hybrid like a pretty stout charging current, at least 10-15 amps right from the get go. A trickle charger of 2 amps or less will just confuse the battery and the battery will try to reverse it's polarity. Like Hombre's bike, hit it hard and with a big wad then taper it off.

My absolute favorite charger is a Vector with the desulfation pulse cycle. While not any good for anything but a flooded cell battery (the pulse cycle), Vectors have microprocessors that electronically sense the proper amperage rate and that takes the guesswork out of charging a battery. Besides, they are completely automatic. I've brought back more than one flooded cell battery from extinction using the desulfation pulse cycle.
 
Hombre,

Just in case you were wondering, the coolant tank will fit in the left hand side panel like it was made for it, I used one zip tie through the bolt hole to keep it from flopping around, and installed the side back on, frees up that air box for goodies
 
Hombre,

Just in case you were wondering, the coolant tank will fit in the left hand side panel like it was made for it, I used one zip tie through the bolt hole to keep it from flopping around, and installed the side back on, frees up that air box for goodies

Thanks, Regulator. I've already used the space under the left side cover for some additional "black box" go faster electronics... no beer for me. ;)
 
anyone try the pc525...
Not that I've seen or heard of; but; I'm always ready to see the specs. What is the CCA? This upgraded Yuasa, I recently switched to, with 310CCA is not all that special when cold soaked over night with 20 degree temps. :mad: I drive the beast on my daily commute if it's not gong to downpour with rain to and from (I will deal with a one way in the rain) and a dependable batt. is crucial to me. I've tried searching for the PC525 and ended up with squat. Give me a link.
 
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